Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Ashwood and Page-Croft.

Members of the committee are asked to declare any interests in the items on the agenda. In the case of any doubt, the advice of the Monitoring Officer should be sought before the meeting.

Councillor O’Connell declared a non-prejudicial interest as a trustee of Cambridge Live. 

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 6 June 2016.

 

The minutes of the meeting held on 6^th June 2016 were approved as a

correct record and signed by the Chair subject to the following amendments on P11 of the agenda report pack (16/29/SAC):

 

Councillor Ashton to contact Wendy Young regarding a ward walkabout in the Coleridge Road Colville Road area.

 

 

Committee Action Sheet from last meeting attached.

The following actions update was noted with amendments for accuracy referred to above highlighted by Councillor Ashton as shown below: 

 

ACTION	LEAD OFFICER/MEMBER	TIMESCALE	PROGRESS
20mph/Cherry Hinton Road Update   John Richards to keep South Area Committee informed on 20 mph project progress.	John Richards (Senior Engineer - Development Unit)	Feedback at future SAC meetings	South area now complete in respect of new signing and road marking
Environmental Reports SAC	Wendy Young (Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement		Litter Removal requests were sent to the Operations Team for Barrow Road and Station Road following the Area Committee
Environmental Reports – SAC   Councillor  Ashton to contact Wendy Young regarding a ward walkabout in the Coleridge Road Colville Road area,	Councillor Ashton / Wendy Young (Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement		Ward walkabouts are being undertaken in the Coleridge   Colville Road area at present with Coleridge Cherry Hinton Councillors

 

 

Refer to the ‘Information for the Public’ section for rules on speaking.

Members of the public asked a number of questions as set out:

 

1.      Alistair Storer asked:

 

·        That following the boundary changes for the County Council will the areas for the policing, environmental issues local Improvement projects etc be changed and what will the make-up of Councillors will sit on this Committee be?

 

·        My section of my street is currently East Coleridge, but will be part of Cherry Hinton Division – will it be South Area still, or will it be part of East Area? 

 

In response it was explained that there were two tiers of Councillors involved. The member of the public should currently continue to go to their existing County Councillor which would only change after the local elections in May 2017. They could also go to their current City Councillor representative. It was clarified that if his policing area was currently in the east, this would not change. In terms of Committee membership, this could not be provided at the current time and would need a full cycle of Council before such issues would be known. 

 

2.      James Woodburn asked:

 

·        Why is implementation and enforcement of the 20mph moving so much more slowly than was promised? He added that he would like to see the Councillors and officers make a real effort to ensure enforcement, as currently in 20 mph zones many drivers were going considerably faster.

 

It was suggested that this should be raised again during the Policing and Safer Neighbourhoods item when the sergeant present would be able to provide an answer.

 

·        On air pollution, asking that Councillors to put forward plans to compel waiting taxis and buses to switch off their engines when waiting and asked whether it was possible to have local regulations to enforce it?

 

It was clarified that taxis were meant to turn their engines off when waiting in ranks and that Environmental officers had visited them on occasion and asked them to do so, especially around St Andrews Street. In terms of buses, this had previously been raised with one of the bus operators with the response that it was necessary to keep the engines running to keep both the driver and passengers warm. It explained that it was not possible to enforce such measures with buses without a specific byelaw.

 

In relation to taxis there were two types:

 

a)   Vehicles for hire which were not licenced by the City Council 

b)   Taxis – for which the Council had more control as it issued the licences. 

 

Action point: The Chairman to request that the Licensing Committee be asked to look into whether it would be possible to insert the requirement for them to switch off their engines when waiting at taxi ranks as part of the conditions of granting licences.

 

3. Sam Davies

 

·        As there were concerns regarding future proposed local cycle

Schemes, asking whether lessons from Phase 1 of Hills Road had been learnt, including analysis of the effect of construction time overruns, the effect of the revised layout on bus hold ups and any adverse impacts on emergency vehicles and whether officers should be held accountable?

 

Councillor Taylor responded that she had spoken to the County Council’s Cycle Team officers and along with other colleagues had requested that a review of the Hills Road Cycle Scheme should be undertaken. She highlighted that the County Council had undertaken a survey of floating bus stops and had undertaken a bus trial to see how it was working in practice. As a result of discussions at Economy and Environment Spokes at the County Council, a local liaison forum was to be established to look at the Queen Edith’s proposals with a Committee report due to be considered at the County Council’s November Economy and Environment Committee.

 

In discussion it was identified that there was a need for clear communication regarding proposed road closures and diversions and improved project management going forward, with the need for the County Council to work closely with the City Council. 

 

4. Shirley O’Riordan raised the following concerns on behalf of elderly residents in Dunstan Court sheltered housing complex, Wulfstan Way asking what action could be taken regarding:

 

·        cycling on pavements, and

·        uneven pavements.

 

Councillor Taylor indicated that she had already spoken to Shirley O’Riordan the day before on the issues raised and would be meeting with County Council officers the following day regarding uneven pavements.

 

In terms of cycling on pavements, it was suggested that should be raised with the police regarding its lawfulness and what could be done to prevent it, at the appropriate item later on the agenda.  In discussion cycling on pavements was seen as a common problem in the City, with one Member highlighting that of people he had talked to, one in five had been hit hard by cyclists cycling on pavements.

The Committee received a report from the Safer Neighbourhoods

Inspector proving an overview of action taken since the last reporting period and identifying on-going and emerging crime and disorder issues.   

 

The report summarised the action taken against the following objectives:

 

·        Continue to target the supply of controlled drugs.

·        Road safety (around parking ) to continue, ASB parking around the City particularly in south near schools, and speeding  

·        Anti-social behaviour at the Cambridge Lakes to include preventative patrols to target hot spot areas around the lake and to speak to the management regarding the possibility of installing CCTV

 

The following recommendations were proposed in order to facilitate effective policing and partnership working;

 

1)   Combatting ASB in the CB1/ Brookgate Development

2)   Promotion of road safety

3)   Drug dealing / use in the south of the City

 

Regarding enforcing the 20mph speed restrictions, the Police view was that they should be self-policing and should involve more than just the speed limits being painted on roads, namely physical features aimed at slowing down traffic. He clarified that it was not Police policy, as advised by the College of Policing, to undertake speed checks in 20 mph limit zones. 

 

The Committee raised the following policing issues:

 

i.          Highlighting that the issue around Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) parking close to schools was the biggest concern to many residents, with Cherry Hinton highlighted as an area inundated with complaints, which required further sustained Police action.

 

ii.         Seeking clarification regarding the report referring to the public being involved in recording speeding. In reply, it was explained that this was where Community Speed Watch Schemes had a role to play.

 

    iii)   What action was taken regarding drivers caught speeding by

Community Speedwatch volunteers? it was explained in reply that they would be written to by the organisation, but would not be prosecuted. If the same driver persistently flouted a speed limit, the person would be reported to the local Police Team who would then arrange to visit the person.

 

    iv)   Whether statistics were available regarding parents being fined for obstructing school gates / entrances to schools? In response, it was indicated that police constables did undertake early patrols and took action where they found drivers obstructing school gates. Statistics were not kept regarding drivers who had been fined. Action: The Sergeant was happy to include increased patrols as part of the work around Road Safety.

 

v)    On Recommendation 1 ‘combatting ASB in the CB1/ Brookgate Development’ clarity was requested on what the issue was and what the Committee was being asked to approve? It was explained that it was mainly in relation to noise nuisance / cannabis use by groups of young people congregating together.

 

vi)   An issue was raised regarding Automatic Number Plate Recognition issues in Addenbrooke’s Road where the speed camera had been turned off and where rat running was a particular issue.  Chief Inspector Paul Ormerod explained that the siting and maintaining of speed cameras had to take account of what was reasonable and proportionate, and also whether funding was available.  He was due to meet with the Taskforce Unit and Addenbrooke’s security and it was hoped that enforcement measures would shortly be in place.  Action from Police: An update report could be provided on progress at the next Area Committee meeting. 

 

  vii) Reference was made to the increase in rat running in the 20 mph restricted area of Rosemary Lane and Church End Road where it was felt enforcement had been more effective when the speed limit had been 30 mph. In reply the Chief Inspector suggested that 20mph limits were not always the best option on some leading roads as enforcement required to be proportionate and there was a risk that speeding slightly over a 20mph limit road could incur higher penalties than breaking the a 30 mph limit by a higher margin. The aim of Speedwatch was to help educate drivers, while also highlighting that the Police did not have the capacity to undertake enforcement measures on all roads and so were having to look at roads with a higher risk threat from speeding vehicles. 

 

viii)    Another Member made the point that 70% of the public had supported the lowering of the speed limit to 20mph and that Cambridge needed to be seen as a special case by the Police, bearing in mind the number of pedestrians and cyclists. Action from Police:  The Chief Inspector provided an assurance that he would go away and look into the issues raised while still confirming the Police view that enforcement should be through physical road design measures d to slow down traffic.  In response to this, one City Councillor highlighted that in some areas where gating had been suggested e.g.  Churchend Road or raised platforms as in Cherry Hinton Road, these had not been supported by County Council’s officers who had not considered that they were necessary.   

 

ix)    What would be done to ensure the request for police to concentrate their attention to prevent parking near school entrances as there was no detail provided in the current report? Action from Police: It was confirmed that PCO’s would be sent out to patrol school gates early in the morning, while at the same time the sergeant also highlighted that parking had been de-criminalised in Cambridge.

 

x)    How did people go about seeking to obtain speed cameras in Queen Edith’s Way?  As a response it was explained that the justification for a speed camera needed to be shown in terms of the number of serious or fatal injury statistics recorded, as it had to be shown that they were not being erected as an income generator (cash cow).

Police Action: An undertaking was given to install speed monitoring equipment to monitor whether Queen Edith’s Way was likely to qualify.

 

xi)    What level of hate crime had been recorded following the European referendum result? It was explained that there had been an initial spike in recorded numbers after the result, but this had now decreased and was in numbers of less than 10.

 

Members of the public raised the following issues 

 

i)             With reference to the issues of cycling on pavements referred to earlier in the meeting, as an Action Point: Sergeant Misik agreed that this would be taken away as part of the work under recommendation 2.

 

Following discussion of the recommendations, in respect of promotion of road safety, it was agreed that this should be amended to specifically highlight the need for greater enforcement of preventing parking at schools entrances, especially as the autumn term would have a new intake of parents and that visible enforcement measures would help deter repeat behaviour. 

 

Members unanimously resolved to:

 

 approve the following priorities:

 

1)   Combatting ASB in the CB1/ Brookgate Development

2)   Promotion of road safety with specific reference to prioritising Schools Parking

3)   Drug dealing / use in the south of the City.

 

The Committee received a report and also a presentation from the Managing Director, Operations Director, the Head of Sales and Marketing and Press and Marketing Manager providing an overview of Cambridge Live’s performance and achievements since taking over the responsibility for the management of the majority of the City Council’s  cultural services from April 2015. This was the starting point for an engagement process to inform the future plans for the City Events programme run on behalf of the City Council with the Committee asked to support and promote the wide ranging engagement process, including engagement with community groups and residents which would feed into the discussions for the programme arrangements 2010 to 2025. 

 

Public Questions / issues raised in discussion included:

 

     i.        Asking where the lead officers believed the spread of activities would be situated.  In response it was explained that this was partly the reason for the consultation, as new satellite settlements were growing up there was a need to look to engaging further, to find the best way of engaging and meeting the requirements of outlying communities e.g. taking the ‘Big Weekend’ to them.

 

    ii.        There was a request to ensure that dates for events such as the Big Weekend were publicised as early as possible. A question was raised on whether it would be possible to create a public events data base with other organisations, such as the University who also undertook public events, to try to minimise clashes. In reply, while there was no shared data base, the forthcoming planned events were posted early and were available on the City Events part of their website. As an example details of the February programme were due to be announced in the next two weeks, as well as details regarding forthcoming folk events. 

 

   iii.        Whether they would organise events in partnership with Churches in Cambridge?  In response it was indicated that events were undertaken with different religious communities, but the catalyst was to initially engage with City Council.  What was avoided was organising events in aid of charities, as being a charity themselves, this would not be looked on favourably by the Charities Commission.

 

  iv.        Taking up the issue of promoting different national communities folk traditions, one Member suggested that there should be an effort to embrace and promote those from the Ukraine and Baltic states for which there might be a preference locally, compared to Russian themed events. In reply this suggestion was considered a useful prompt to look when considering future dance events and also taking into account current views of the world political stage.

 

The Chair and other Members thanked the officers for their presentation and for the wonderful work they were undertaking.

 

The report was noted. 

The Committee received a report and oral update providing an overview of City Council Refuse and Environmental and streets and Open Spaces service activity relating to the South Area Committee. The report and presentation identified the reactive and proactive service actions undertaken in the previous year, including the requested priority targets and highlighted the recommended issues and associated actions suggested to be targeted in the following period.  

 

Questions / issues raised included:

 

     I.        Vehicle parking issues in Cherry Hinton and the Fulbourn Road layby.

 

   II.        Sam Davies wished to go on record to thank Wendy Young and her team on behalf of the Queen Edith’s Community for the work which had been undertaken which received a round of applause.

 

  III.        James Woodburn raised the issue of the collection point for recovered stolen bikes, highlighting that there was not one central place to collect them. He suggested the need for one single location which was widely publicised and also that the bikes  should be kept for a specified period before being disposed of as currently recovered bikes were stored at different locations. In response, Wendy Young indicated that there was a standardised procedure by the City Council City Rangers who were responsible for the Council’s recovered bike service. In terms of timescale, they were kept by the Rangers for two weeks with the charity holding them for two weeks after that. To check on whether the City Rangers were holding a particular bike, this could be achieved by either e-mailing them, or completing a form online. The details  would then be checked against their records and also where a bike had been reported to Police as having been stolen and a crime police number issued, a check  made against that list.

 

 IV.        As a follow up James Woodburn highlighted the different practice adopted at Cambridge Station. In reply it was explained that this was private land and the City Council did not have the power to demand the details in respect of the bikes they had recovered. As part of the ongoing action, the officers would take away the comments made and seek to make the point of contact details simpler.

 

  V.        With reference to page 65 6. ‘Proactive and Community Work: Previous period and the Friends of Cherry Hinton Community Action Day’ and the free dog chipping service offered, in answer to a question raised regarding whether this event had been advertised, it was confirmed this had been undertaken via social media and through the Friends of Group.

 

 VI.        Mowbray Road – Two issues raised:

 

VII.        Council lawnmowers cutting grass without the operator first removing plastic bottle and other debris, resulting in them being shredded, and dangerous sharp debris being left behind.

Action: to ensure lawn mower operators were reminded of the need to check before mowing that all rubbish was removed first. 

 

VIII.        The need for building workers to remove the debris / dirt when undertaking building work, as nails and other debris was being left at the end of the day, which had resulted in punctured tyres. 

 

 IX.        Long Road – Student Smoking Nuisance – this was still an issue for local residents. A question was raised on whether extra bins should be provided and if fixed penalties could be introduced?  In response it was explained that the bin design currently provided did not have an ashtray facility. As result officers were looking at different designs and would be engaging with the college to arrange for suitable alternatives to be provided. In respect of fixed penalties, these could not be issued to under 18’s and were therefore not appropriate for the target college age group. Education was seen as the key, with the measures to be taken to include increased signage, changing the bins and engaging with the College on sending reminders.

 

Action: Councillor Taylor offered to make contact with the college and to pass on the officer details to help facilitate closer co-operation.    

 

Following discussion, Members resolved unanimously;

 

The following priorities within the South Area for the period September to November with the addition of adding to recommendation 4 the words “and Fulbourn Road Layby”  

 

Number	Priority details
1	Early morning, daytime and weekend patrols for dog fouling on Bliss Way/Tenby Close, Nightingale Avenue Recreation Ground, Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground and Cherry Hinton Hall.
2	Enforcement targeted approach to areas where Addenbrookes site joins residential areas such as Hills Road and Red Cross Lane and to work with Addenbrookes to work towards the bus station area being cleaned up.
3	Enforcement to work with the County Council, against utilities and companies that damage the verge on Mowbray and Fendon Road.
4	Enforcement action against nuisance vehicles being repaired at Arran Close and vehicles for sale at Queens Meadow and Fulbourn Road layby.
5	Enforcement joint working and patrols to deal with littering from students of Long Road Sixth Form in the areas of Long Road and Sedley Taylor Road.
6	Enforcement patrols to deal with litter and fly tipping in and around Teversham Drift.